Life Of Navin

The days of dope tests conducted only before sport meets may be over. If experts are to be believed, schools and universities may soon have to test examinees for performance anhancing drugs before exams.

The Academy of Medical Sciences in a statement has said drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer's were being used by healthy people to boost alertness and memory.

The experts said if it became more of an issue, urine drug tests may be needed......For students!!

They added that brain science technology also held the key to more effective addiction and mental illness drugs.

The academy had set up a working group in 2006 led by Cambridge University neuroscience expert Sir Gabriel Horn after being asked by ministers to look at the use of psychoactive drugs - those which impact on the workings of the brain.

It said future drugs had huge potential thanks to greater understanding of the workings of the brain.

Brain enhancers are drugs for treatments such as Alzheimer's already thought to be used by healthy people to boost alertness and memory function. Regulation may be needed in future to limit unfair advantages in exams.

The experts, who consulted the public via focus groups during their research, said these breakthroughs had, as yet, led to limited progress in drug treatment.

They said most existing medicines for drug addiction focused on replacing the substance with something less addictive and hazardous, such as methadone for heroin, instead of curing the addiction.

The group's report said vaccines could be developed to neutralise addiction, pointing to the work currently being done on a jab for smoking as evidence that is was possible.

However, the experts warned this would only be achieved with more investment and better co-ordination, which could be achieved through more partnership work between industry and government.

The team also turned its attention to drugs which improve brain performance, so-called cognitive enhancers.

The experts pointed out brain enhancers, such as caffeine, had been used for a long time.

But they warned there was anecdotal evidence drugs such as Aricept, a treatment for Alzheimer's, Ritalin, used for attention deficit disorder, and Modafinil, which targets day-time sleepiness, were also being used by otherwise health people to boost alertness and memory.

They said that in the future, regulation may have to be introduced to stop these treatments and future ones from giving people an unfair advantage in examinations and tests.

A spokesman for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said in the industry's defence: "These drugs are prescription drugs and therefore you need to go to the doctor to get them. I don't think the system is that open to abuse."

Just imagine......... Giving out urine samples before answering exams!! Where is this world heading??The competition just got tougher

We see similarities in the future use of cognition enhancers with the current use of performance enhancing drugs in sport. --Sir Gabriel Horn